Grandfather brings Thomas the Tank Engine to life for his grandson

3-year-old Brock Mueller of Deerfield, Mich., shares a common interest with many children his age: Thomas the Tank Engine. He watches DVDs of the show and plays with the plethora of Thomas toys he owns. Unlike many other kids, however, Brock has a life-size Thomas right in his backyard.

Three-year-old Brock Mueller of Deerfield, Mich., shares a common interest with many children his age: Thomas the Tank Engine. He watches DVDs of the show and plays with the plethora of Thomas toys he owns.

Unlike many other kids, however, Brock has a life-size Thomas right in his backyard.

Brock’s grandfather, Keith — or “Poppa,” as Brock prefers to call him — started a project in November that involved turning an old Sears riding mower into a replica of his grandson’s favorite blue locomotive. The train created a buzz in the local community when it was featured in the Deerfield Memorial Day parade on May 31.

“We grabbed some kids that were up here and they rode in on the train,” Keith said. “They really liked it.”

Keith said he was inspired to build the replica because of his grandson’s fervent interest in Thomas.

“We were sitting on the kitchen table and I said, ‘I’ll build you a Thomas train out of the lawn mower,’ ” he said. “I drew the main picture, then he finished it up.”

Carol Mueller said her husband remained consistently devoted to this project. After coming up with the idea, he spent every weekend working on it.

“He would be out there on Friday night, all day Saturday and all day Sunday,” she said.

While Keith did most of the work, his grandson supervised him to some extent.

“I’d be working on it and he’d tell me things like, ‘No, Poppa, wrong,’ ” Keith said. “He’s the one who knows Thomas, so I built to his specs.”

Although a riding mower was the main component of Thomas, it was not the only vehicle used to create him. The Toledo (Ohio) Area Regional Transit Authority donated seats for the train and for the trailer Keith built afterwards.

Keith said he also collected various automotive parts from cars that had been demolished in accidents. He used these parts, which would have been discarded otherwise, to add on to his project.

“I’d say there are about 10 different cars in this,” Keith said. “Guys at the shop would constantly ask me, ‘Can you use this for Thomas?’ ”

Carol said some people in the neighborhood had a sneak preview of the train when it was taken out for a test drive. In fact, Keith has already begun receiving offers for it.

“I’ve had about 10 people ask me if I want to rent it out for birthdays, and I refused,” he said. “It’s a special thing to me.”

Keith said the best part about building the Thomas replica was seeing his grandson’s reaction to the finished project.

“He came up, gave me a big hug and kiss and said, ‘Thank you, Poppa, I love you,’ ” he said. “It was heart-warming.”